Yale University Health Services

Had to wait a month for an appointment. Horrible, incompetent physicians and administrative staff who don’t care about their patients. I can’t wait to change Healthcare providers.

I should have learned my lesson when I was diagnosed with a condition that I now know that I don’t have by a resident.
No, I went for convenience so I kept going back. I went to urgent care with a 2 week old «cold» and was essentially blown off by the night physician who was obviously in a hurry to get back to his nap. I returned less than a week later as my symptoms worsened to be diagnosed with a far more serious condition, something I’m sure the first physician would have caught if he too the time to examine me.
Then goodness forbid you have a non-​life threatening issue but need to see a doctor, i.e. pain medication when you’ve badly damaged your shoulder. So sorry. You and your problem will have to wait for a week to see a GP who will then send you to a specialist.
Also, the nutritionist apparently works only a few hours a week because after waiting and waiting, I eventually gave up on actually catching her on the phone to make an appointment that was advised by their own physician.
Don’t ever go to their dermatology «practice.» Not only will they stick you with a bill, but they’ll tell you that perfectly treatable conditions are just «cosmetic nuisances» and nothing else can be done. Anyone in the field of dermatology who makes such an absurd statement should be stripped of their license.

OMG! This place is God-​awful!
I tend to not use modern medicine except as a last resort, and I have never used the actual medicine here (and I hope I never do) so I am rating this outfit strictly on the basis of my experience with their administrative apparatus, which I have been forced to navigate several times based on health record requirements, etc.
This place is NOT user friendly. The website seems to be extensive but has very little useful information on it. It does not list any contact e-​mails or phone numbers, nor does it explain anything about whom one should talk to for various problems. When you call any part of YUHS on the phone, you will inevitably be referred from one department to another, and none of them will be able to answer your questions. Also, about half the people will not answer the phone and you will be patched through to voice mail. When you leave a voice mail, they are slow to respond (usually a full day or more) and half the people never respond at all.
Showing up in person, however, doesn’t do much good either. You walk in, and there is an information desk which is not manned. Everyone is busy, frantic, on the phone, and there are people waiting everywhere. When you finally get someone to ask a question about where to go, you get referred to someone else, where you also have to wait.
The only positive thing here is that when you actually do talk to a human being, they tend to be fairly courteous and polite. But honestly? I’d rather have them be bit cold and rude and actually get my answers and get things done. A smiling face and kind word goes a long way, but goes nowhere when you’ve been referred around to five different people.
I think the following changes would do wonders for this place:
* Full-​time manning of the information desk with enough staff so that no one has to wait. Make the information desk function as a one-​stop referral point so that the time of the other staff is not taken up by people being referred back and forth.
* On any University materials that list YUHS in some specific context, make it so that the materials MUST list a specific contact name, number and e-​mail so that you know who to call.
* Clearly enumerate on the webpage exactly what people and departments to talk to about a given problem.
* The website should make contact e-​mails available via the website so that people like me with simple administrative questions can shoot a brief e-​mail and let them handle it and get back to me with a response instead of me having to navigate a maze of voice mails or show up in person as I needed to do twice.
* The University should hire more staff in general so that the staff is not super-​busy and overworked. Having people be busy and overworked in a health-​care setting is outright DANGEROUS if you ask me.
Until these changes are made, I am going to stay as far away from this hellhole as possible and pray to God that I remain in good health during my stay at Yale.